Gravity Fillers
by sigwrites
Summary: A collection of a series of one-shots written to be like filler episodes. This chapter: Mabel tries to make everyone laugh, and things go seriously wrong.
1. Fountain of Health

It wasn't an incredibly long car trip home, not that Dipper would know. He slept the whole way back the Mystery Shack. That's what sleep deprivation and having a demon trick you into possessing your body would do to you.

Dipper remembered having Grunkle Stan pick him up and take him to bed, but other than that, everything after getting in the car was burry. He woke up to the sting of some disinfectant that Mabel was applying to his arm. He made a hissing sound over the medicine.

"Mabel," The girl addressed looked him in the eyes and gave him a sympathetic grin.

"Sorry Dipper, this stuff stings. It smells kinda funny, too, but it's necessary." She sniffed the bottle of medicine in question and pinched her nose. "Bleh!" She smiled when she heard a small laugh from her brother, but a more serious look returned when he made a pained sound and wrapped his arms around his torso.

"Oww," Dipper whined, "How did he even manage to hurt this much of me? He couldn't have been in my body for more than a couple hours!" Lifting his shirt revealed several purple, black, and blue bruises—probably from falling down the stairs, he guessed. He looked back over to the arm that Mabel was dressing and saw the fork marks. Bill really did a number on him, didn't he?

"Don't worry, bro-bro. You'll feel better in no time. You've got Nurse Mabel to get you back in shape!" She proudly gestured to her white sweater with a red cross embroidered on the front. "I'm gonna go get you some chicken noodle soup!" Finishing wrapping gauze on his arm, she leaped up and ran out the door to begin cooking her brother some food.

 _Oh no,_ Dipper thought. _Not Nurse Mabel again._ She always did this. Every time he got sick, she'd baby him, smother him, and cater to his every need until he was better. It drove Dipper nuts. He pondered on a solution to the problem. He hated being stuck in bed, unable to do anything, and he also didn't enjoy Nurse Mabel and her antics. If he could just get better immediately, then he wouldn't have to put up with either of those annoyances. The only problem was that 'getting better immediately' was an impossible feat. Unless…

"The journal!" He spoke his epiphany aloud. The journal probably had _something_ that could help. Dipper grabbed the book from under his bed and flipped through the pages. Even that small action shot pain signals all throughout his body. He chose to ignore them for now, because once he found the answer in Journal 3, it'd be over and there'd be nothing to worry about. After a few moments of scanning pages, he finally found what he'd been looking for. He recalled reading about this, but he never really needed the information until now.

According to the journal, there was a spring of water deep within the forest that was said to possess incredible healing qualities. It could heal any bodily wounds. That's exactly what he needed!

"It's right next to the height-altering crystals, too! Haha!" This wasn't going to be hard at all. He stood up triumphantly, nearly falling over upon doing so, and began to march down the stairs.

Getting past Mabel was easy. She and Waddles were both in the kitchen, and both wore matching chef hats. Her loud rendition of her favorite Sev'ral Times song covered up any sound Dipper made while sneaking past.

Now he just had to make it to the spring. This'd be a piece of cake.

* * *

Once she completed the chicken noodle soup, she headed back upstairs with a hot bowl of it to give to her brother, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Dipper? Is that you under all those blankets?" She set the bowl down and lifted his blankets away, hoping he'd be asleep under them. But he wasn't. Where could he have gone? The bathroom was her first guess, but as she looked around the room, that theory started to seem very unlikely. Journal 3 was no longer in one of Dipper's hiding places, but it was now on the floor beside his bed and opened. She picked it up and read over the contents of the page. "Magic healing water? He _didn't._ " She huffed in disappointment and concern.

He had to have gone into the forest to find this. And he didn't even put on shoes! Mabel shook her head and frowned at the vest, hat, and shoes that remained in their place. She was going to have to go and get him before he got himself hurt. If he's tired enough to forget the journal, his vest, his hat, and his shoes, then this was an emergency.

She grabbed Dipper's backpack and stuffed Journal 3 in it, along with everything else Dipper had forgotten and her grappling hook. He couldn't have gone too far, right?

* * *

How close was he? He had to be pretty close by now. He had been walking for half an hour, and he thought he saw some tiny birds earlier. Well, they were either miniature birds or just really far away.

Dipper hoped he'd get there soon. With every step, he emitted an "ow", and the aching seemed to get worse as he went on. Maybe he shouldn't have done this. What if he got lost out here? What if he was attacked by a bear or—or worse? Doubts and regrets filled his head, and panic set in soon after. He had to get back to the Shack. Mabel was probably worried sick. _Oh, Mabel._ She was just trying to help, and he had been a jerk and ditched her.

He definitely needed to get back. Definitely. Dipper started running in what he was pretty sure was the direction of the Mystery Shack. Running hurt more than his slow trudge to the spring, but he didn't care. He had to get back and apologize to Mabel. He had to.

* * *

Mabel hadn't had any luck with finding Dipper. How he managed to get that far ahead of him, she wasn't sure. She was starting to lose her hopes of finding him until she heard something. Panting noises lined between the word "ow" repeated over and over. And it seemed to be getting closer.

"Dipper!" She said as the two collided with each other. She grabbed him by the shoulders and made eye contact, while he dissolved into a freaked out string of apologies. "Dipper. Dipper!" He finally quieted down.

"I'm sorry, I just—I ran off looking for this spring and," He paused and collected himself again, "You were just trying to help me feel better, and I acted like a big jerk. I didn't want your help, and I just left you without even telling you where I was going. All because I'm just too stubborn and didn't want you fussing over me."

"It's alright. Maybe I do kinda come on strong and get annoying. Nurse Mabel doesn't know when to leave the patient alone." She frowned and pulled Dipper's shoes, hat, and vest out of her bag. "Here," She helped him put them on when he asked. "Can you just promise me not to go running off again when you're hurt like this? You gotta know you're in no shape for mysteries, right?"

"Yeah, I'm sorry. Guess I got in over my head. Sometimes taking a shortcut isn't the answer." He gave her an apologetic grin.

"Hey, but I think we're closer to that spring than we are to the Mystery Shack. Still wanna get healed up? It'd be easier than me having to carry your butt up to the Shack," She shoved him jokingly but cautiously; she didn't want to accidentally hurt him some more.

* * *

The twins visited the spring that the journal spoke of, and it worked just as quickly as they expected. They were amazed to see Dipper's injuries fade away so suddenly. He lifted his arm and stretched his fingers, thrilled that they no longer ached.

After the spring, the two headed back to the Shack and went up to the attic.

"Guess Nurse Mabel is off duty for now, huh?" She shrugged off the sweater and replaced it with a green one with a tabby cat on it.

"Guess so," Dipper responded. "Hey Mabel, thank you for helping me feel better. Nurse Mabel knows what she's doing, really."

"Aw, it's no problem, Dipper." She accepted his apology. "Wanna go see if Grunkle Stan will take us to the diner for dinner?"

"You're hungry too? Yeah, let's go. Pancakes for dinner?"

"Pancakes for dinner." They exchanged grins at the thought of the all-day breakfast menu.


	2. Laugh Dust

"It's not even spring, Mabel! Why's Grunkle Stan making us do spring cleaning when it's not even spring?" Dipper said to his sibling, putting finger quotes around the words "spring cleaning".

"I dunno. The Shack kinda does need cleaned, though. Check out all the dust!" She ran her finger across the shelf they stood by and showed her now dust-covered finger to him. After observing this, they both made a sound of disgust.

"Hey, stop slacking off. Somebody's gotta clean up around here, and it sure isn't gonna be me." Stan walked by them on his way to the front door. "This is the perfect day to get it done, too. That Gideon has some kind of discount day going on, and it's making my business really slow. That little creep is stealing all my customers." Grunkle Stan shook his fist in the air. " _Discounts_ , pssh." The Mystery Shack wasn't known for it's low prices, and Stan intended on always keeping it this way. He returned to the living room to watch television while Mabel, Dipper, and Wendy were left in the gift shop.

"Ugh, people keep asking me about Robbie and I. My phone's been going off like crazy!" Wendy looked at her phone for the eighth time since she arrived at work and then threw it in the register. When it comes to high schoolers, news spreads, and it spreads fast. Everyone wanted the details on Wendy and Robbie's break-up, but Wendy just wanted to be left alone. "People should just mind their own business."

Mabel frowned. Everyone seemed to be in a bad mood. Dipper was mad about having to clean the Shack, Grunkle Stan was irritated by the lack of customers, and Wendy was upset over people texting her about Robbie. She didn't like it when the people she loved weren't happy. Maybe she could cheer them up.

"Sorry about that, Wendy." She hoisted herself up onto the counter beside the register, ready to start making smiles happen. "Hey, I know what'll cheer you up! A joke!" She inhaled, conjuring a joke that was SURE to make her friend laugh. "What kind of bow can't be tied?"

"I dunno, what kind?"

"A _rain_ bow!" She grinned, awaiting a response, but Wendy didn't seem too amused. Her phone buzzed yet again, and she took it out of the register to turn it on silent. Mabel frowned. Wendy was too distracted by her phone to appreciate the joke.

Maybe she'd have better luck trying to make Dipper laugh.

"Hey, Dipper! Wanna here a joke?" She approached her twin, who was preoccupied with spraying the windows with glass cleaner and wiping them off.

"I guess." He didn't turn away from his chore, but he at least _seemed_ to be listening.

"Okay," she proceeded, "What kind of crackers do firemen like in their soup?" Dipper didn't respond, so after a short pause, Mabel decided to go ahead and finish the joke. "Firecrackers! Get it? Because–"

"Yeah, that's great, Mabel." So he _wasn't_ really listening after all. He was just deep in thought. She sighed and walked away.

Grunkle Stan would appreciate her jokes. She had failed two times now, but third time's the charm. This had to work.

"Grunkle Stan! What kind of shoes do spies wear?" Like Dipper, Stan didn't give her the traditional "I don't know, what?" response. He was engulfed in the television. "Sneakers!"

"That joke was terrible. Get back to dusting. And restock the bobble-heads." Stan said to her as the commercial break began. Well, at least he actually was listening to her, but she still hadn't made anyone's day better.

Mabel, upset by her failure, accepted defeat and went back to helping out with spring cleaning. As she dusted, she became as lost in thought as her brother was. She had to find a way to make everyone have a better day. Everyone needed a good laugh.

Taking a break from dusting, Mabel decided to get restocking the bobble -heads out of the way. She grabbed a cardboard box full of them and made her way back to the shelf. One by one, she put the merchandise on the shelf, but in the process of doing that, something caught her eye. A container made of glass sat alone in the very back of the shelf. She reached her arm back there and pulled it out. It was full of a pink, powdery substance. The label on the container said "Laugh Dust–Experiment #47 Prototype".

Laugh Dust? Mabel liked the sound of that. This could probably make the others laugh. _This_ is how she'd cheer everyone up.

Grunkle Stan, Dipper, and Wendy were conveniently convened at the cash register when Mabel had turned around. From what she heard, she assumed that they were just griping to each other about how terrible their day has been. This was a perfect opportunity.

"Hey, guys! Where did the computer go to dance?" They all turned to her and awaited the answer in silence. "A disc-o!" Just like before, none of them laughed, and they quickly dismissed her and returned to their griping. Time for the back-up plan. Mabel opened the container of Laugh Dust and flicked some at them. "Where did the computer go to dance? A disc-o!" She repeated, and this time they all busted out laughing. Finally.

But then they kept laughing. They kept laughing and they didn't stop.

"Guys, guys. C'mon. It wasn't that funny." Mabel smiled, glad to see that they were finally having some fun today. But they kept laughing. Fear and confusion spread across the three's faces, but they kept laughing.

"Mabel, what's going on?" Dipper managed to gasp out between chuckles.

"I dunno! I just used this stuff on you guys, and it worked a little TOO well!" She started to panic. They couldn't stop, and she didn't know how to fix it.

"Do something!" Wendy vocalized.

"I refuse to laugh this long over a terrible joke!" Despite what he said, Grunkle Stan continued laughing.

Mabel needed to take action. She grabbed Dipper by the arm and pulled him into the living room.

"Dipper, have you seen anything in the journal about this stuff? It was on one of the shelves in the gift shop, but I don't think it's another fake knickknack." She said, gesturing to the pink dust.

"No but—" Dipper grabbed his chest, "There is something about—" He stopped, deciding that it was getting too difficult to try and verbally communicate through laughter. He pulled the journal out and flipped through the pages. After finding what he wanted, he pushed the journal to Mabel and pointed at a small entry.

"I have learned how to create a reversal potion that reverses any effects from any magical aliment. I here inscribe the recipe for such a useful concoction." Mabel read aloud. There was also a note beside the entry with two asterisks beside it. It said "Also works for Laugh Dust!" Mabel wondered if the author of the journals made the same mistake as her before.

The recipe required cranberry sauce, raspberry juice, cinnamon, and honey to be thrown into a blender. It was a bizarre combination of foods, but Mabel knew that they had everything she needed. Thank goodness they did, because she wasn't sure how long they could laugh before something bad happened. She gathered the ingredients and threw them in the blender. The final part of the recipe called for saying the word "reverse" three times while mixing the ingredients. If the journal hadn't been right about everything, Mabel would doubt the legitimacy of this. It definitely sounded made-up.

She hurried back to the victims of the Laugh Dust and handed all of them plastic cup, and she quickly poured some of the reversal potion for each of them. Mabel was on her toes. What if it didn't work? What if she had just failed everyone again?

The three took a sip—having complications, as it was hard to drink something while laughing—and their laughter slowly disappeared. Each of them gasped for air after realizing that they were free of the effects. Everyone was quiet for the next two

minutes as they caught their breath, until Grunkle Stan spoke up.

"Kid, don't go around using things you find in the Shack all willy-nilly. Some of this stuff is dangerous."

"I'm really sorry everyone. You all were having a bad day, and I just wanted to make you guys less annoyed and upset." Mabel apologized.

"It's okay, sweetheart. Your heart was in the right place. Just be more careful next time," said Grunkle Stan.

"Yeah, dude. Don't sweat it." Wendy was next in accepting her apology. Dipper didn't say anything, but he smiled at Mabel and nodded.

"You guys really aren't mad?" Each of the three either shook their head or said "no". Mabel was so grateful to have these people in her life. She could spend all day talking about how much they meant to her.

"Grunkle Stan?" Dipper inquired right before everyone was about to disperse and continue with their day, "Did you know that stuff was there?"

"Nope," Stan said with shifty eyes, "Never seen it in my life. Now gimme that." He yanked the stuff in question off of the counter and stuffed it in his suit jacket.

"How could you not have known about it?! It was just on one of the shelves! What if someone picked it up, bought it, and used it on someone?" Dipper counted the steps of the unlucky customer on his fingers.

"Now _that'd_ be something to laugh about." They all giggled over Grunkle Stan's answer and almost entirely forgot about the validity of his claim of not knowing about the Laugh Dust.

"Ahh-" Dipper hissed, "My face hurts from laughing." He rubbed his cheeks.

"Truce to not say anything funny for the rest of the week?" Wendy proposed.

"Agreed." They all said in unison and groaned.


End file.
